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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. shower — to wash
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — rain
  5. object — a thing
  6. bass — low music
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. lean — thin
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bass — the fish
  19. object — to protest
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com